


Alternate

by Batchick20



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Court Sorcerer Merlin, F/M, Female Merlin, Merthur - Freeform, noble merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 09:21:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16323527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batchick20/pseuds/Batchick20
Summary: When Arthur, Merlin, Uther, Gaius, Morgana, and Sir Leon are all suddenly transported to an alternate dimension, emotions run high. Not understanding where they are or how they got there, they can only hope that the people of this alternate Camelot can help them return home. This new dimension's Merlin seems to be the only one that can help, except Uther wants none of it. Convinced that this female Merlin is out to destroy Camelot, he fights her along every step of the way. Can the others get used to there being another version of themselves and, much harder, an overly powerful witch Merlin? Especially when she is nothing like the Merlin that they know and love? Only time will tell. If they return home with their sanity intact it will be a miracle.Excerpt:“Just who does she think she is to speak to her king like that? If I were you, I would throw her in the stocks or better yet the dungeon! Such disrespect would never be allowed in my kingdom.”





	1. A New Dimension

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first work on this site and my first Merlin fanfic. I have had this strange idea in my head for a while now and want to finally give it form. Updates will be very sporadic as I am in college.  
> I do not own Merlin.

Arthur wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. One moment they (Arthur, Uther, Merlin, Morgana, Gaius, Gwen, and Sir Leon) were in the throne room discussing a new threat to the kingdom, and the next they were on the stone ground in a slightly different looking throne room. Having surprised the room’s inhabitance with their sudden appearance, Arthur was not surprised to find a sword pointed a short distance from his face. He was surprised to find that the person pointing the blade had facial features very similar to his own. His double probably noticed the same thing because confusion caused his sword to lower slightly and his head to tilt.  
“Who are you lot?” Arthur’s Double asked.  
Standing, Uther and Arthur brushed off their clothing. The others followed shortly but did so with more caution and with less of an indignant air about them.  
“I am King Uther of Camelot. This is my son, Arthur and his head knight, Sir Leon.” Arthur’s father answered, not even bothering to mention the others.  
“Impossible.” A man sitting on the throne said. “Camelot only has one king and one Prince Arthur. Last I checked I was that king, and my son stands with a sword to your boy’s throat.”  
Arthur looked at the man and found that he had no idea who he was. His hair was a light brown with gray dusting here and there. Looking between the king and his double, Arthur could easily see the family resemblance. While there were a few differences, like hair and eye color, the younger of the two definitely looked like his father.  
The king’s words seemed to strike a nerve with Uther because his expression became angry. He was about to speak when the throne room’s doors slammed open allowing a woman with endless beauty to enter. Her hair was long, black, and curly. It was unbound and bounced as she walked. Her shirt was white and puffy at the breasts and arms. She wore a brown leather corset over it thus keeping it tight to her body. Her pants were tight fitting and a light brown tucked into black boots reaching mid-calf. Her expression was neutral and bordered uncaring.  
“Merlin, how many times do we have to tell you? There is no need for you to throw the doors open. They will open just as nicely with less force.” The king told the woman.  
“Merlin?” Arthur found himself saying incredulously.  
This beauty was Merlin? No. It had to be some sick joke. Merlin was a man. And he certainly was not a good looking one.  
“Relax everyone. No need to have a fit. I know what is going on.”  
“What did you do?” Arthur’s Double asked her, his tone weary.  
“Why the hell is it that whenever I know what is going on people think I caused it?” She responded testily.  
“Did you have something to do with it?”  
“No. This has nothing to do with us and everything to do with them. They were cast out of their dimension. Why? I don’t know. All I know is that they are here and not there. Hence why there are two kings of Camelot and two Prince Arthurs.” She seemed to consider Arthur’s Double. “Seriously, Artie. I thought I taught you better than this. You should have been able to figure it out on your own. I mean the answer is staring you in the face. I expect this from Albert but not you.”  
“What is that supposed to mean?” The king, Albert, asked highly offended.  
Merlin merely looked at him before focusing her attention on Uther.  
“King Uther, was it? Our Camelot welcomes you and those of your kingdom with open arms. Our knights and our prince with put their weapons away and we can have a servant show you to temporary rooms. We would be honored if you all would join us for dinner. We can discuss what happened and anything you will need to make your stay here more comfortable then. I am sorry, but the rooms you and Arthur are used to are already taken. We will have you placed in the most extravagant guest chambers though and make sure to assign you servants to assist you.” She spoke.  
Uther and the others from their dimension were shocked. Merlin was treating them as the king should have. At her words, “Artie” and the other knights that Arthur hadn’t even noticed put their weapons down. Odd.  
A few servants appeared and led all but Uther and Arthur away. The Merlin Arthur knew seemed reluctant to leave, but Arthur simply shooed him with his hand. One servant stayed and waited for Arthur and Uther to follow him.  
“Is something the matter? Would you not like to go see your chambers?” This female Merlin asked.  
Albert stood and walked over to where they were standing.  
“I know, she if very controlling. Should be meek and mild, I say. Her face is a wonder but her heart is unforgiving.”  
“Maybe if you actually did your job, I wouldn’t have to be ‘unforgiving.’ And if I were ‘meek and mild’ the kingdom would have shifted power to any of the twenty people that have tried to take it over in the time I have been here. Besides, you would tire of me easily. I know Artie would.”  
Artie nodded.  
“We can manage without you, Merlin. We don’t always need you to save us.” Albert grumbled.  
“I will remember that next time you come begging me to help you.”  
Albert was about to say something but she turned and left with nothing more than a departing wave. When she was gone, Uther spoke.  
“Just who does she think she is to speak to her king like that? If I were you I would throw her in the stocks or better yet the dungeon! Such disrespect would never be allowed in my kingdom.”  
“She is Court Sorceress as well as the most powerful witch to ever live. In the magical community, she is called Emrys and is seen as their queen. Going against her is a death wish.” Albert explained.  
In true Uther fashion, he started demanding how a mere witch was allowed into court.  
“She should be executed! Magic is nothing but evil. If she is that powerful then it has tainted her. She needs to be put down before she can revolt against the kingdom!” He bellowed.  
“Camelot is better with her protection. Without her, this kingdom would have been destroyed years ago. And she won’t revolt—” Artie started to explain.  
“And how do you know that? In the short time I have been here I have seen that you cannot control her. She walks around like she owns the place. It is only a matter of time before—”  
“She won’t revolt because she has no need to. She is my wife. When I become king she will be my queen.”  
Uther paled.  
“Then Camelot is doomed.”


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The differences between those of the two dimensions become clear as they all get to know one another more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Probably too much fun...  
> I don't own Merlin.

It was an unspoken agreement that they would all wait in Gaius’ room for Arthur. Whether or not Uther would join them, none of them knew. All of them were too absorbed in their own thoughts to question whether or not Arthur would even look for them. Merlin seemed to be the most troubled. This new dimension’s version of himself was not at all what he would have expected. The gender change aside, she seemed to be the polar opposite of him. Her walk had been confident. Her gaze dared others to deny her. The manner in her speech was proper and down to the point… She was a woman who knew how to get things done. And the way she spoke to her king… Merlin couldn’t even imagine speaking to Uther that way. He would be too terrified of ending up in the stocks or on the executioner’s block!  
A knock on the door startled all of them out of their thoughts. Gaius gave permission for the person to enter, but instead of using the door as they expected, the female Merlin appeared as if by magic.  
“Hey… so you do know you all have your own rooms, right? You don’t need to all be in the same place. I mean, if you want to that is fine, but…” She started, not even bothering to let them calm down.  
“Magic! You’re a sorceress!” Was the general exclaimed remark.  
She looked at them with her head tilted slightly to one side.  
“Uh… yeah. What is the big deal? Is it that surprising?”  
“Magic is banned in Camelot. All found guilty of sorcery are executed.” Gaius explained, being the first to calm.  
“Well… it may be banned in your dimension, but not here. Camelot thrives off of magic. Without it, the kingdom would be nothing compared to what it is now. Whose idiotic idea was it to ban magic?”  
“Uther’s.”  
She shook her head.   
“Of course it was. He doesn’t exactly strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed.”  
There was another knock on the door and without even waiting for a response both Prince Arthurs entered the room.  
“How many times do I have to tell you to wait for a response when you knock on a door? Don’t just barge in. For all you know Gaius could have been changing. Or in the midst of some scandalous tryst.” The female Merlin lightly scolded.  
Her prince had the decency to look apologetic as Gaius sputtered. Their Arthur looked… well… he was a bit hard to read. Queasy? Confused? Angry? Merlin couldn’t tell.  
“What took you two so long anyway? I would have thought that there wouldn’t be much else to say once I left.”  
“Oh, there turned out to be plenty to say.” Their Arthur said, his tone sharp.  
“What the hell is wrong with him?”  
Arthur scoffed.  
“I am not entirely sure. After you left his father talked poorly of you before Dad and I told him more about you. Now his father is acting like a raving lunatic and he is in a pissy mood.” Her Arthur said.  
“My father is not a lunatic!” Arthur yelled.  
“If it talks like a loon, looks like a loon, and acts like a loon then it must be a loon.” Her Arthur stated.  
Both Merlins had to hide a snicker at that. Only one succeeded.   
“It is nice to know that after years of knowing me I have finally rubbed off on you.” The female Merlin laughed.  
“You rub off on me all the time. If you want you can do it again…”  
Catching his lewd meaning, she rolled her eyes and pushed her Arthur gently.  
“Uh…” Morgana stared confused at their interaction.  
“These two are apparently married.” The still brooding Prince Arthur supplied, as though that would explain everything.  
“What?”, “Married?” and “Seriously?” seemed to be the common consensus.  
“Oh come on, is it that surprising?” The married Prince Arthur asked.  
“I mean, I know I am way out of his league but honestly, he isn’t that horrible to be tied to for the rest of my life.” His wife finished.  
Looking at his wife, the married Prince Arthur shook his head as though he had heard that a million times before. He probably had.  
“Anyways, I think it is time that was all talked seriously.” The female Merlin started, suddenly getting serious. “We need to think of better ways to refer to one another. Otherwise, when we need to speak to one another this can get confusing. From now on, simply call me Emrys. My Arthur can be Artie—”  
Merlin couldn’t stop the smirk on his face.  
“Artie?” He asked.  
Artie blushed.  
“She has been calling me that since we were kids. I tried to get her to stop but she refused.” He explained embarrassed.  
“Like you could ever stop me.” Emrys gloated her superiority over her husband.  
“Not the issue here darling.”  
“Whatever. Now, Our Gaius already responds to Doc, so we can just refer to him as such. Our Leon can be Le, as I already call him that. As for Gwen and Morgana… neither are here so it shouldn’t matter what we call you.”  
“What if Gwen and Morgana return?” Artie asked.  
“Then they can kindly turn around and leave. I have a limit of one Morgana and Gwen at a time. Any more and the night will end with bloodshed.”  
“What do you mean?” Morgana asked.  
Emrys looked her over for a moment.   
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”  
“This reminds me, Em, Uther was spouting some concerning nonsense by the time we left the throne room. I know you can take care of yourself, but please do not leave my side for the duration of while he is here.” Artie requested.  
Turning to him concerned, she asked: “What was he saying?”  
“Camelot is doomed with you as the future queen, magic is evil and must be stopped, you will run Camelot into the ground, etc. He had this crazed look in his eye. I don’t know what he would do, so I rather you be with me for the duration while he was here. I can’t stand the thought of him trying something against you.”  
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. Her expression turned soft and she nodded.  
“Alright. I think that can be arranged.”  
He smiled and stepped closer to her. She tilted her head up and he kissed her gently. The others in the room looked away from them, some of their faces red. Of course, Morgana didn’t look away. She seemed delighted with what was in front of her.  
“Aw! That is adorable! Arthur, why can’t you be that sweet?” She swooned.  
Arthur looked taken aback.   
“As if I would say such girlish things! Feelings are for girls. I can already tell which of the two of us is the better man.” He challenged.  
“Don’t take how I talk to my wife as for how I am on the field. I have never crossed swords with someone I couldn’t beat.” Artie growled.  
“Except me.” Emrys supplied.  
Artie looked at his wife.  
“Obviously I wasn’t talking about you. Not wanting to hurt you aside, you cheat.”  
“I do not!”  
“Oh, so I imagine you using magic during our battles then?”  
“You have never once told me that I was not allowed to do magic. That is miscommunication on your part. Don’t be a sore loser.”  
“Anyways, I have no doubt in my skills. If you want to put your money where your mouth is, that can be arranged.” Artie turned back to Arthur.  
“I will have to take you up on that. I, too, have never lost a match.” Arthur puffed out his chest.  
“We can make an event of it then.”  
“Ugh, can we not make a big thing of this little pissing contest? It is bad enough we have to host your little play fights twice a year, but now this too?”  
Both princes and Leon looked indignant.  
“It is not a pissing contest.” The three of them said.  
“What is the ultimate goal?”  
“To see who is more of a man.” Arthur answered.  
“I really wish you didn’t word it like that.” Artie sighed.  
“And what is the point of a pissing contest?” Emrys continued.  
“To see who is more of a man.” Morgana supplied.  
Emrys found herself smiling.  
Arthur began rambling about how a duel was so much more than that. Artie simply shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“Rule number one when dealing with women: know when they got you beat. You already lost.” Was his sage advice.

Dinner, Artie thought, was going to be eventful.   
For starters, Merlin and Gwen had both looked uncomfortable sitting at the table with two kings. Gaius, who had eaten with Uther in the past, was only slightly more comfortable with his placement at the table. Morgana was overjoyed to be sitting at the table with her maidservant. Arthur… Arthur still looked a bit pissy.  
When he and Emrys entered the dining hall he could immediately see Uther’s glare directed at his wife. He knew she saw it too since she smiled and went out of her way to greet the magic despising king.  
“Uther! How are you? I hope the staff have been treating you well?”  
“It seems they share your love of magic. Every chance they get to perform sorcery in front of me, they do.” He snapped.  
“Well of course! This is a magical kingdom! Since you seem to come from a Camelot that is not as magically inclined as ours, I instructed the staff to demonstrate all the wonders magic can do. I expect that they put on quite a show.”  
“Yes… it was very… different… than what I am used to.”  
Emrys smiled. Artie wished he could shake some sense into his wife. Angering a magic-hating king was never a good idea. He loved her, but sometimes her lack of self-preservation was too much for him.  
“How come you never have the staff perform for me? Merlin, I am the king. You never go out of your way to do things for me.”  
“That is because last time I did you kept spouting some nonsense about if you were twenty years younger you would—”  
“Father! Seriously?” Artie interrupted his wife.  
“What? Come on Arthur, you need to expect a little competition! Just because she has had eyes on you since the two of you were children—”  
“I did not have eyes for him when we were children!”  
“Doesn’t mean that all the other men around are blind! Not to mention she is way out of your league. All I had said is that if I were twenty years younger—” Artie’s father continued as though she had never interrupted him.  
“Dad, seriously. Stop. She is my wife.”  
“Yes, and you better make a child before she realizes that she is too good for you and leaves.”  
“I already know that,” Emrys smirked.  
“You better hurry! The woman is aware! You need to tie her to you for all eternity.”  
Emrys laughed.  
“I thought I did that when I married her.” Artie sounded like he was at the end of his rope.   
“Not enough. She can still easily leave. Now, if there were a child involved…”  
“Is this what you did with mom? I always wondered why you two had me so soon after marrying.”  
“Now that I will never tell.” King Albert suddenly seemed to realize something. “Where is your mother?”  
“Avoiding you.” Artie and Emrys replied at the same time.  
“Ah… some things never change. She must still be mad about our last argument.”  
“Or mad that you keep making passes at your daughter in law.” Artie continued.  
“No, she makes passes at me too. I have to say though, between the two of your parents I would have to choose her.” Emrys informed him.  
“What does she have that I don’t?” Albert sounded offended.  
“A brain, for starters.”  
It was then that Albert remembered the others in the room. He cleared his throat.   
“I forgot to welcome our guests once more. Unfortunately, my wife couldn’t be here this evening. She had prior commitments.”  
“How is her work with the new orphanage coming along?” Emrys asked.  
“Much slower than she would like. It has had her up for nights on end to try and catch up. I am worried she is going to work herself to death.”  
“Hm… I will have to see if there is anything I can do to lighten her load.”  
“Honey… you yourself already have so much on your plate. If I recall, you were up most of the night working. You already have the added work of figuring out how our guests got here and how to return them to their own dimension… Let my mother focus on her work. I had already expressed my wishes for you to do less around the kingdom. You may be extremely powerful, but you are still only one person.” Artie practically begged.  
Emrys looked at her husband with all the love in the world in her eyes. He returned her gaze and neither looked away as their first course of soup was placed in front of them.  
“Would the two of you like for us to leave? It seems the two of you have locked yourselves in your own little world.” Albert genuinely asked.  
Blinking, Emrys and Artie snapped out of the trance they had seemed to be in. Artie beckoned a servant to fill his glass with wine. The same servant went to fill Emrys’ glass but she stopped her.  
“No thanks, just flavored water for me tonight.”  
Artie and Albert looked at her oddly.  
“What? I have a lot of work to do tonight. I would rather do it with a clear head.” She defended.  
Albert seemed to understand, Artie didn’t look convinced.  
We can talk later. Don’t bring it up now. Artie heard in his head.  
Concerned, all he could do was nod.

Conversation after that drifted to getting to know one another. Once they got the basics out of the way, Arthur mentioned the good-natured duel between himself and Artie.   
“What a wonderful idea! We can even have our other knights fight. Oh, this will be a splendid day. The people will enjoy the show.” Albert buzzed at the idea.  
Emrys sighed heavily.  
“Now Merlin, just because you hate duels for whatever reason doesn’t mean that everyone else shares your point of view.”  
“They are just a waste of time. Unless they are to the death, they don’t actually prove anything. You know you won't die. Sure, you can be injured, but that is as far as it goes.”  
“You mean you won't be impressed if Artie wins?” Gwen asked before she could stop herself.  
“If he wants to impress me then he can go save a village from bandits or some dangerous creature.”  
“You never make it easy, do you?” Artie muttered.  
“If it were easy, it wouldn’t be impressing me, now would it?”  
Before anyone could say anything else, this dimension’s Morgana and Gwen entered the room.  
“Gwen and I are back everyone! Who missed us?” This Morgana exclaimed.  
Emrys actually growled. This captured the attention of those who had been eating dinner with her.  
“I put salt in front of the doors. Why the hell do they keep coming back?” She lowly snarled.  
“Merlin darling! Last time we were here we didn’t see much of you. This time we must spend more time together. Drop whatever nonsense you insist you must tend to and have tea with us.” Gwen demanded.  
The air actually fizzled around Emrys. Before Artie could calm her down, she used magic to throw both Morgana and Gwen out of the room. Before they impacted anything, she opened a portal and forced them through it.  
Everyone in the room looked at the still steaming Court Sorceress and Princess.   
“I think it is time Emrys and I retire for the night. Good night everyone.” Artie said as Emrys was already getting up and storming out of the room.  
Once the two were gone, everyone looked at Albert.  
“She will calm down soon. Well, as long as they don’t return. Which after the way they were dismissed, there is a fifty-fifty chance.”  
“Where did she send them?” Gwen had to ask.  
“No idea. Now, dessert anyone?”


	3. Calm Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emrys calms down and has a nice conversation with her husband about what is wrong with Gwen and Morgana... mainly Morgana.

“Why on Earth did she have that violent a reaction to seeing them?” Morgana asked, very confused and more than slightly offended.  
Albert was about to take a bite of a sweet tart but stopped with the pastry halfway to his mouth and looked at her.  
“Huh?” He asked, having forgotten what she was referring to.  
“Emrys. When she saw your Morgana and Gwen she got so angry.”  
Albert seemed to think about this for a moment. He started to eat his tart as he did, leaving the others in uneasy anticipation.  
“Hmm… I guess it is a lot of things.” He finally said.  
They all waited for him to elaborate, but when it became clear that he had no intention of doing so, it ended up being Uther of all people to ask for more details.  
“Well, as you probably have gathered, Arthur and Merlin grew up together. Gwen and Morgana also lived here up until recently. Gwen and Morgana are… well… how to put this nicely…” The king scratched his head. “They have conflicting… personalities with Merlin… and a lot of other people. And well… if they come back you will see.” 

 

Emrys stalked the length of their room angrily cussing and ranting. Artie simply sat on the bed and waited for her to calm down a little bit. It took close to an hour, but eventually, she got to the point of saying “They’re just… UGH!”  
She sat down beside him and buried her head in her hands.  
“I hope they don’t come back. I work too damn hard as it is. I don’t have time to go back and fix everything they mess up.”  
“You know they mean well…” Artie tried, rubbing her back.  
“No, they think that their opinions are the only ones that matter. They don’t care about how much work has been put into something. If they don’t like it they will rearrange everything. Even if that means everything gets messed up.”  
“They just never learned the right way to do things.”  
“I have tried to teach them. Remember when I directed Morgana on the right way to plan a banquet? I was ‘too controlling’ and ‘had the wrong outlook’ since her way was ‘better.’”  
“Is this when she planned a banquet but never invited anyone?”  
“I was thinking about when she invited people but didn’t plan anything else.”  
“Didn’t she also plan on serving nothing but sweets one time?”  
“Yes, because she had a sweet tooth when she was deciding the menu.”  
She sighed.  
“I have tried, Arthur, I really did. I have tried to show them both how to do somethings so that I could have help. Now they just find what I do silly. ‘Leave it to the men,’ they say. ‘Have tea. It is so much simpler. Sit back and watch the men do all the work.’” She shook her head. “Every day since I arrived here all people have told me to do is ‘leave things to the men.’ Now I have finally gotten it so that the other women noble and peasant alike work hard to be seen as equal to the men of their standing, but every time Gwen and Morgana show up they convince the other women that things are fine the way they are. They are fine with being ignored and treated as though their issues are trivial. They can’t seem to understand why anyone would want to change things.”  
Artie was silent as he thought about this. Quiet rested between them for a long while before the prince finally spoke.  
“I think that since they are privileged and have had everything handed to them all their lives they don’t really get how it is a problem. They have simply been allowed to roam and do as they please. Other noblewomen were hard to convince that this was an issue too, remember? Some still don’t understand. It is usually when their wishes become ignored and their fathers plan to marry them off or send them someplace unpleasant that they get the hint. Their proximity to my father has kept the two of them sheltered from that. Sure, we sent them to live someplace else, but the two of them have an entire estate to themselves. They probably see it as paradise rather than torture.”  
“Still, that doesn’t make undoing all of my hard work alright. They have no right to change details or intercept information meant for me or—”  
“I know. I never said they had the right. I agree with you. And while I know they do more harm than you will ever let me know, I am aware that they like to think that they are of higher standing than you. Despite the fact that they were invited to the wedding, sometimes it is as though they don’t really believe we are married. I know they think you are not actually Court Sorceress.” Emrys opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. “I know it is ridiculous. The two of them are just stupid. Just because they had not been able to attend the wedding they think we canceled the event. At this point now they think that it was a joke meant to ruffle their feathers. Both still make passes at me as they have always done. You and I both know they are delusional, just sometimes I find myself surprised by how far their fantasy goes.”  
“What do we do if they come back? I sent them back home. Odds of them returning are fairly high.”  
“We send them away again and again until they get the hint.”  
“I hope they get it soon.”  
“Same.”

An hour after Emrys had calmed enough to finish eating she received the message she had been waiting for since their visitors arrived.  
“What is that?” Artie asked her, finishing his food as well.  
“A letter from the Interdimensional Magic Council. Remember I told you about it? They watch over magic in most of the dimensions. They are the ones that forced our guests out of their dimension.”  
“Oh yeah. Do you think it has anything to do with magic being illegal in their Camelot?”  
“I know so.”  
He was quiet as she read over the message. It was a “request” for her to investigate exactly what transgressions Uther committed against magic and find a suitable punishment, worse than death if need be. She was also asked to determine the hearts and motives of Arthur and Morgana to determine if they should be allowed to return home. It seemed that there were a few possible futures for their dimension and only a handful were good as far as magic was concerned.  
“Great… this is going to take a while.” She sighed.  
She let her husband read the note and he too seemed fed up with the situation.  
“Can't they do this themselves? It seems like they already know what happened. It says they are going to send you detailed books describing Uther’s life. Can’t they punish him themselves?”  
“They could but they won't. They are probably too busy to.”  
“You are too busy too and yet they expect you to.”  
“If we are lucky I will be able to do so quickly. I am more regretting determining what to do with Morgana and Arthur.”  
“Focus on Uther first. Then worry about them. In the meantime, I will keep an eye on them.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Damn council. The last thing I wanted was for you to have more work. At this rate, you are going to end up working yourself to death.”


	4. Unwell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of a new day leads to sickness and uneasiness for some.

Emrys and Artie were able to sleep until shortly after sunrise before loud slamming noises startled them awake. Looking around their room they discovered that the Magical Council had delivered the books that she was to read over. The books were dropped above the surfaces they had landed on leading to the commotion. Also having heard the noise, several guards ran into the room. Emrys had to quickly pull the blankets to her neck to avoid flashing the intruders. Artie used his torso to block his wife from view and almost immediately yelled for the room to be vacated at threat of execution. Once everything calmed down they tried to get back to sleep but found it impossible. A servant knocked on the door with breakfast and the husband and wife had no choice but to start their day. She decided to locate the first book while he went to the training field in full armor. He was not all that surprised to see Arthur and his Leon standing at the edge of the training field. Beckoning them over, he allowed them to take part in the training. His men found it interesting and he and Arthur scolded the lesser knights for their lack of focus. About an hour in Artie saw that Emrys and Merlin were sitting on the sidelines. His wife had what he assumed to be the first book of many and was already nearly finished with it. He focused back on his men and next time he spared a glance at where his wife once sat, he was sad to see her gone. He sighed and turned to his cocky double.

"Missing your wife already?" Arthur teased him.

"If you had one maybe you would understand." Artie replied, only half into it.

Truth was that he was worried about her. Yesterday aside, she had been acting differently recently. There was something she was not telling him and it had to do with why she refused to drink last night or every night for the past month or so. She was slowly changing her habits while thinking he didn't notice. She rode horseback less, ordered servants to carry things for her more, drank less, and left the castle only when absolutely necessary. If he was being completely honest with himself, he wished he could follow her around all day just to make sure that she was alright. That reminded him: she had agreed to be by his side until Uther was gone. So where the hell was she?

"I noticed that she has been acting differently recently. Is she alright?" Artie's Leon, or Le as Emrys apparently calls him, asked worried.

"As far as I know she is fine. She hasn't told me anything and Gaius hasn't come to me about her health either. For now, don't worry. Once she comes to me about it I will let you know. Most likely it is nothing but changes in interests or stress."

He hoped that is all it was. Promising himself to keep better track of her after training, he resumed helping a potential knight with his footwork.

 

Emrys managed to get through four out of thirty-five books by the time lunch came around. She did use a spell to help things along, but she didn't want to accelerate her reading too much. The information, while horrible and tear-jerking, was important if she was to give a proper verdict. She was so disgusted with King Uther that she was having a hard time keeping the little bit of food she got down her throat in her stomach. She was having lunch with Artie, Le, Leon, Morgana (the seemingly less annoying one), Gwen (also seemingly less irritating), Merlin, and Arthur. They all seemed concerned with her green face as she attempted to force more food down her throat. 

"Are you alright? Maybe you should go see the two Gaiuses. One of them could give you something to make you feel less sick." Morgana suggested.

"I am not sick. I am just not in the mood to eat. I have been reading some nauseating material and it is messing with my appetite. I am sure it will pass." Emrys tried to decline.

"She is right, Em. I haven't seen you this sick looking in a while. Come on, I am taking you to see Gaius." Artie decided, standing.

Emrys attempted to fight him, but she gagged and knew immediately after that this would be a battle lost. She let her husband guide her to see the two old physicians all the while worrying about how Artie would react to the news that her Gaius would no doubt spill. 

_Please be okay with it._

 

Uther was having lunch with the two Gaiuses in the physician's chambers. He decided to use this as an opportunity to spend more time with his old friend. Not having any responsibilities for the first time in forever since he became king, he was enjoying his friend's company. That enjoyment ended when Artie and his witch wife entered needing to be seen.

"What is wrong, my dear? You don't look so good." This dimension's Gaius asked, immediately going to check on his future queen.

"I am just nauseous. He is making a bigger deal of it than it is." She answered.

"Are you still having morning sickness? That should have started to fade by now." 

Her Gaius began prodding her stomach after having her lie down. While he did this, Artie seemed caught up on the words "morning sickness."

"Um... Doc, did you just say 'morning sickness?' I thought that only is for pregnant women." The prince seemed to start panicing.

"Doc" looked at Emrys.

"I thought you said you would tell him by now. You have known for almost two months now." He gently scolded.

Artie looked at his wife in shock.

"You're pregnant? And you knew for two months but never said anything? Is that why you have been acting differently and stopped drinking? Why didn't you tell me? That is it, you need to work less--"

"Artie--" Emrys tried to interupt his rambling.

"I will tell father to appoint a new Court Sourceress or Sourcerer--"

"Artie--"

"Contact the Magical Council. Tell them to do their own work--"

"Arthur--" "You should have said something sooner so we could have done this sooner. Honestly Em. It is about time you work less. Once the child comes I want--" "Arthur Pendragon will you shut the fuck up already?!" Emrys finally got through to her husband. He snapped his mouth shut and listened for a good half hour as "Doc" prepared an anti-nausea tonic as his wife ranted about why none of what he said was going to happen. Her final statement that seemed to settle everything ended up being "I'm pregnant not dying." She drank the finished tonic and stormed out leaving a still processing Artie to take her place on the patient's cot she had been occupying and lie down. He asked Doc for something to help him calm down and soon he was taking a nap on the cot as he let the tonic calm down his racing heart and anxious mind. Doc sat down to finish his meal and Uther found himself needing to confirm that Emrys was actually pregnant. "Yes, she is at the start of her fourth month. Arthur should have been told by now. If she had been the one to tell him then at least he could have had his freak out in private instead of in here." Under any other circumstances, Uther would have congratulated the parents-to-be, especially since the father was a version of his son. The mother being Emrys ruined it. Hatred festered more fully in his belly. Not only would Arthur's blood be passed on, so would hers. The Pendragon bloodline would be tainted forever. Whether or not it was actually his legacy being tarnished, he could not let that child come into the world. If it did, everything he stood for would be destroyed. Now Uther felt nauseated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no updates for a while, I have been in a rut. I will try to update more but I make no promises.


End file.
